The Obamas

When Barack Obama won the 2008 presidential election, he also won a long-running debate with his wife Michelle. Contrary to her fears, politics now seemed like a worthwhile, even noble pursuit. Together they planned a White House life that would be as normal and sane as possible. Then they moved in. In the Obamas, Jodi Kantor takes us deep inside the White House as they try to grapple with their new roles, change the country, raise children, maintain friendships, and figure out what it means to be the first black President and First Lady. Filled with riveting detail and insight into their partnership, emotions and personalities, and written with a keen eye for the ironies of public life, THE OBAMAS is an intimate portrait that will surprise even readers who thought they knew the President and First Lady. Review"In lesser hands __The Obamas__ would be an act of astonishing overreach, but Ms. Kantor, who covered the Obamas for __The New York Times__ during the 2008 presidential campaign, and is currently a Washington correspondent for the paper, has earned the voice of authority. A meticulous reporter, Ms. Kantor is attuned to the nuance of small gestures, the import of unspoken truths. She knows that every strong marriage, including the one now in the White House, has its complexities and its disappointments. Ms. Kantor also-and this is a key-has a high regard for women, which is why hers is the first book about the Obama presidency to give Michelle Obama her due. In the process we learn a great deal about the talented and introverted loner who married her, and how his wife has influenced him as a president." (**__New York Times__** **__Connie Schultz__** ) "Energetically reported...Kantor nails her story....We political gluttons will lick the spoon clean." (**__New Yorker__** **__David Remnick__** ) "Jodi Kantor offers a glimpse into the tensions of a culture that expects our women to achieve as highly as our men but our first ladies to take a back seat to their presidents. The result is a sympathetic portrait of both Obamas that could help to humanize an administration criticized as being aloof and inaccessible." (**__The Nation__** **__Ilyse Hogue__** ) "The stories are titillating, and you'll gulp them down like salted peanuts." (**__Entertainment Weekly__** ) "[Kantor's] writing is insightful and evocative, rich with detail... Her reporting rings true-and considering the administration's insistence on presenting a unified front, it is a considerable achievement." (**__Chicago Tribune__** **__Kerry Luft__** ) "[Kantor's] thoughtful new book is fluidly written, with a canny sense for the way political marriages can be useful prisms to see into ambition, power, gender and the contradictions of public life...__The Obamas__ is built primarily out of interviews....[and] the legwork pays off in some sophisticated perception into a 'friction-filled marriage that has proved strong nonetheless.'" (**__The Cleveland Plain Dealer__** **__Karen R. Long__** ) "Kantor's book reveals many unknown stories and revelations about the connection between the personal and political in this presidency, and how the first couple's partnership affect us all." (**Atlanta Journal-Constitution** ) ReviewIlluminating ... For those who wonder how they do it - here's how -- Amanda Foreman Lurid and irresistable -- David Remnick The New Yorker This book is one of the first to give us a sense what the reasons were for the stumbles, the drift, the malaise that many of his own supporters believe has hung over Barack Obama since the day he came to power -- Justin Webb The Observer In lesser hands The Obamas would be an act of astonishing overreach, but Ms. Kantor has earned the voice of authority. A meticulous reporter, Ms. Kantor is attuned to the nuance of small gestures, the import of unspoken truths. The Obamas is full of gossipy tidbits that fuel a narrative about their marriage and how it has shaped the presidency -- Connie Schultz The New York Times Jodi Kantor's book, The Obamas: A Mission, A Marriage, is a stylish examination of the complexities and tensions within the presidential marriage Evening Standard Laboriously researched and thoughtfully written...Kantor digs for detail and strikes gold -- Giles Whitell The Times Kantor interviewed some 200 aides and officials, friends and relatives to give us the fullest picture of this presidency yet -- Kate Figes The Telegraph Kantor reveals the conflict between maintaining a public and private life, and the overwhelming sense of confinement inside the White House -- Christina Lamb Sunday Times When Barack Obama won the 2008 presidential election, he also won a long-running debate with his wife Michelle. Contrary to her fears, politics now seemed like a worthwhile, even noble pursuit. Together they planned a White House life that would be as normal and sane as possible. Then they moved in. In the Obamas, Jodi Kantor takes us deep inside the White House as they try to grapple with their new roles, change the country, raise children, maintain friendships, and figure out what it means to be the first black President and First Lady. Filled with riveting detail and insight into their partnership, emotions and personalities, and written with a keen eye for the ironies of public life, THE OBAMAS is an intimate portrait that will surprise even readers who thought they knew the President and First Lady. Review "In lesser hands The Obamas would be an act of astonishing overreach, but Ms. Kantor, who covered the Obamas for The New York Times during the 2008 presidential campaign, and is currently a Washington correspondent for the paper, has earned the voice of authority. A meticulous reporter, Ms. Kantor is attuned to the nuance of small gestures, the import of unspoken truths. She knows that every strong marriage, including the one now in the White House, has its complexities and its disappointments. Ms. Kantor also-and this is a key-has a high regard for women, which is why hers is the first book about the Obama presidency to give Michelle Obama her due. In the process we learn a great deal about the talented and introverted loner who married her, and how his wife has influenced him as a president." ( New York Times Connie Schultz ) "Energetically reported...Kantor nails her story....We political gluttons will lick the spoon clean." ( New Yorker David Remnick ) "Jodi Kantor offers a glimpse into the tensions of a culture that expects our women to achieve as highly as our men but our first ladies to take a back seat to their presidents. The result is a sympathetic portrait of both Obamas that could help to humanize an administration criticized as being aloof and inaccessible." ( The Nation Ilyse Hogue ) "The stories are titillating, and you'll gulp them down like salted peanuts." ( Entertainment Weekly ) "[Kantor's] writing is insightful and evocative, rich with detail... Her reporting rings true-and considering the administration's insistence on presenting a unified front, it is a considerable achievement." ( Chicago Tribune Kerry Luft ) "[Kantor's] thoughtful new book is fluidly written, with a canny sense for the way political marriages can be useful prisms to see into ambition, power, gender and the contradictions of public life... The Obamas is built primarily out of interviews....[and] the legwork pays off in some sophisticated perception into a 'friction-filled marriage that has proved strong nonetheless.'" ( The Cleveland Plain Dealer Karen R. Long ) "Kantor's book reveals many unknown stories and revelations about the connection between the personal and political in this presidency, and how the first couple's partnership affect us all." ( Atlanta Journal-Constitution ) Review Illuminating ... For those who wonder how they do it - here's how -- Amanda Foreman Lurid and irresistable -- David Remnick The New Yorker This book is one of the first to give us a sense what the reasons were for the stumbles, the drift, the malaise that many of his own supporters believe has hung over Barack Obama since the day he came to power -- Justin Webb The Observer In lesser hands The Obamas would be an act of astonishing overreach, but Ms. Kantor has earned the voice of authority. A meticulous reporter, Ms. Kantor is attuned to the nuance of small gestures, the import of unspoken truths. The Obamas is full of gossipy tidbits that fuel a narrative about their marriage and how it has shaped the presidency -- Connie Schultz The New York Times Jodi Kantor's book, The Obamas: A Mission, A Marriage, is a stylish examination of the complexities and tensions within the presidential marriage Evening Standard Laboriously researched and thoughtfully written...Kantor digs for detail and strikes gold -- Giles Whitell The Times Kantor interviewed some 200 aides and officials, friends and relatives to give us the fullest picture of this presidency yet -- Kate Figes The Telegraph Kantor reveals the conflict between maintaining a public and private life, and the overwhelming sense of confinement inside the White House -- Christina Lamb Sunday Times Award-winning reporter Jodi Kantor takes readers deep inside the White House in an "insightful and evocative" portrait of Barack and Michelle Obama ( Chicago Tribune ) that will surprise even readers who thought they knew the two icons. When Barack Obama won the 2008 presidential election, he also won a long-running debate with his wife Michelle. Contrary to her fears, politics now seemed like a worthwhile, even noble pursuit. Together they planned a White House life that would be as normal and sane as possible. Then they moved in. In the Obamas, Jodi Kantor takes us deep inside the White House as they try to grapple with their new roles, change the country, raise children, maintain friendships, and figure out what it means to be the first black President and First Lady. The Obamas is filled with riveting detail and insight into their partnership, emotions and personalities, and written with a keen eye for the ironies of public life.